Aeon
by FireTeam Torch
Summary: The tale of Lizardman and his quest for salvation. Discontinued until further notice.


**Author's Note:** This is my first _Soul Calibur II_ fan fiction. I do not own _Soul Calibur II_ or any of its affiliates, but I will soon…MUHAHAHAHA―ahem. Anyway, if you can't tell from the story's title, this fic is centered around our reptilian friend, Lizardman. Since he's only a side character in the second game and not many have played the first _Soul Calibur_, not many know his true (and quite sad) story, and even fewer have used him in their fics. For whatever strange reason, I feel obligated to change that, so here's the result.

**Author's Note (again):** Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated. If there's any mistakes or anything that can be significantly improved upon, _please_ let me know. Just please be civil with criticism; I don't mind constructive criticism, but no one likes reading flames.

**Author's Note (yet again):** For those of you familiar with Liz's backstory, yes, I know that Kunpaektu doesn't begin the transformation until _after_ the massacre, but it's just more interesting this way, in my opinion.

**Author's Note (one last time):** Enjoy!

**Prologue**

She ran.

She ran impulsively, thinking only enough to avoid the trees and roots in her path. She had no destination, but she ran as if she'd never again see the light of day. And in truth, perhaps she might not. She was running _away_. She was being followed, being chased, being pursued. She was being hunted. She was prey.

Elysia had been running now for two straight days; she knew nothing of where she was, but it didn't matter anymore. Calista was gone. She had arrived back to her small home village two days ago to find it in ruins. Houses had slowly burned, smoke adding more gray to the overcast sky. Slain villagers had decorated the ground in every direction, like soldiers after a battle. It had been a truly horrendous sight, and one that Elysia was not eager to dwell on. Shaking away her memories, the girl gazed at the setting sun and picked up her pace. She best gain some more ground before nightfall.

It was not long before Elysia was forced to stop for the night. It was too dangerous to continue traveling in the dark; it would be incredibly easy to impale herself on a sharp stick or to trip and crack her head against a rock. It was dangerous to stay, of course, but the certainty of death would be less prevalent if she stopped than if she continued on. And that was all that mattered to the girl now; avoiding death and clinging on to what little life remained. Sighing heavily, the girl sat down to rest.

The night was extraordinarily cold. The girl was almost certain that she could see her own breath in the faint moonlight that filtered through the dark branches overhead. She had not thought to bring an extra robe or blanket along, but then again, she had not really thought to bring much along at all. All she had brought with her were a small bag of provisions and the clothes that she had happened to be wearing on the day of the Calista massacre. She'd hoped that there would be another village nearby where she could replenish her supplies, but apparently she was wrong. Elysia sighed. She'd never ventured far from Calista before, and now she was being forced to use this limited knowledge in a life-and-death situation. The Fates must really not like her very much…

Shivering, Elysia weighed her options. There was plenty of firewood around these woods, and she was skilled at making fires; she used to make campfires all the time with her friends back in Calista. If she lit a fire, she could warm herself as well as heat her food; which was a much more appealing thought than eating the jerky cold again, as she had done yesterday. However, the fire's light and heat might attract unwanted attention, namely that of the…_thing_ that was chasing her. If she didn't light the fire, she would be cold and miserable, but for the most part safe.

The girl sneezed several times in succession, which helped greatly to make up her mind. She couldn't risk catching a cold; that would more than certainly seal her doom. She was struggling enough to keep up her pace as it was, and she couldn't afford to be sneezing every two seconds on the run. Rising to her feet, she glanced around in the moonlight for pieces of ideal firewood. It took little time to find them, and even less time to light the fire. In mere moments, Elysia was sitting in front of a warm fire that washed away the cold, reenergized her sore limbs, and even brought hope to her weary heart. The girl smiled as she reached into her bag of provisions and began to heat her food.

A small rustling sound brought the girl back to cold, harsh reality. At first, she'd thought that it might be the crackling of the fire, but when the rustling came again, she realized with dread that the sound was definitely coming from somewhere around her, as opposed to in front of her where the fire blazed. Grabbing a stick for defense, Elysia glanced around at her surroundings. She saw nothing but the dark shadows of the trees, and began to calm down a bit.

She should have looked up.

At first, all the girl felt was a warm trickle around her belly area. The searing pain came next, as it always did. As Elysia collapsed in agony, she became acutely aware of the deep gash in her stomach, the pool of blood collecting on the ground, and the silver point of a blade that quickly withdrew from her flesh. So this is how it ends, she thought as her brain struggled to keep her thoughts from disarray. It did not struggle long, and soon all was chaos.

The last thing Elysia saw of the mortal world was a pair of yellow, reptilian eyes, before her thoughts, sights and life faded into oblivion.


End file.
